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From the editor’s desk

Oct. 7, 2013

I was enjoying an early evening cup of coffee on my deck Sunday night, as I watched darkness envelope my home and yard. Quite frankly, I didn’t even know what time it was, but I assumed it was getting close to 8 p.m. Imagine my surprise when I went inside to grab a jacket and realized it wasn’t even 7 p.m. yet. Ugh!

That’s right, friends. Mother Nature is stealing the sun right out from underneath us these days, which translates to the days getting shorter and shorter. Daylight Saving Time ends Sunday, Nov. 3, so enjoy the dwindling daylight while you can.

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Have you picked up your ticket for our upcoming Illinois Valley Living’s Women of Distinction Award luncheon, set for 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Oct. 17 at Deer Park Country Club in Oglesby? This is going to be a great event, and I hope you’re planning on coming.

Not only is the event orchestrated to honor our 10 Women of Distinction Award winners — Kim Abel of Mendota; Kathy Casstevens of Utica; Mary Ann Cernovich of Sheffield; Lisa Clinton of Cherry; Dawn Conerton of Magnolia; Pat Schou, Nedda Simon, Loretta Volker and Teresa Zearing of Princeton; and Judith Wilkins Wright of rural Tiskilwa — the event is also to honor every woman who has made a difference in the Illinois Valley. Let me stress, the luncheon is not just for women and about women. We hope to have several guys there to also show their appreciation to the women who help make the Illinois Valley world go ‘round. Trust me on this ... if you need some inspiration in your life, this is the event to attend.

On top of all of that, Princeton’s own Kathy O’Malley is our keynote speaker. O’Malley — a terrific volunteer, humanitarian and go-getter in the Illinois Valley — is the co-host of the popular WGN “Kathy and Judy Show.” If you know Kathy, you also know you’ll leave this event with a smile on your face. Don’t miss Kathy O’Malley’s words of wisdom, as she kicks off our inaugural event.

Tickets are $28 per person which includes the lunch, awards ceremony, goodie bag and giveaways, and at press time, there were still tickets available. You can call our office at 815-875-4461 to order your tickets with a credit card, or feel free to stop by our office at 800 Ace Road in Princeton to buy them with a check or cash. If you’d like to send your check in the mail, please call our office first to check on availability.

I am so very excited about this special day. I’m proud to be the emcee, and I promise to keep the event rolling to have you on your way by 1:30 p.m. Have questions? Give me a call at 815-875-4461, ext. 229. I hope to see you there.

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What about our local heroes who attended last week’s Honor Flight! Congratulations to our local veterans who made the trip, as well as those of us back home who supported them. Local veteran Francis Rich said when he was in the service, people would say for every guy on the front line, there were 10 others behind the line that made it possible for him to serve there. Rich said those words came back to him on this Honor Flight — remarking there were so many people who graciously gave of their time and energy to make sure the Honor Flight veterans had a great and memorable experience.

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Hall High School is celebrating Homecoming Week. This Friday they will take their Homecoming hoopla onto the gridiron where they’ll face area rival St. Bede Bruins.

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It’s Girls’ Nite Out in Princeton on Friday evening. I’ll be signing my new book, “Grandma’s Cookie Jar,” in front of Hoffman’s Patterns of the Past that night. Hope to see you there.

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Lots going on this fall. Plan on participating in some of these fun-filled local events. Take the kids and make it a family affair. And remember ... you are important to me and the BCR.